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What is home? And how do we find it? In this 2014 feature documentary, one couple's attempt to build a 'tiny house' with no construction experience raises questions about sustainability, good design and the changing American Dream.

About

TINY: A Story About Living Small

$11,062

pledged of $7,500 goal

196

backers

Excellent
News! As of December 6, we have reached our initial goal of $7500.00

Thanks to everyone who has supported the project thus far, we will be
able to cover most of our post-production costs, including sound editing
and recording our original score, and professional color correction!
These elements will help to make the film as high-quality as possible,
immersing our viewers in the experience of small living. Huge thanks to
everyone who has made this possible!

Because we still have eight days to go, we have decided to aim for a new goal of $10,000.00 by December 15.

Given the tremendous support we have received so far, we think we can easily reach this new goal so we can get this film
out into the world by submitting it to as many film festivals as
possible.

Film
festival submissions range between $30-40 a pop for short films, and
excess funds raised here on Kickstarter will help to ensure that we have
the budget to submit to film festivals around the country, to reach as
wide an audience as possible.

We’ll
also be using excess funds to rent a small plane for two key aerial
shots—one of the Denver suburbs, and other of the tiny house in its
final home in the Colorado mountains.

And
if we get really close to our new $10,000.00 goal, we’ll be able to pay
the other members of our team—including videographer Kevin Hoth— which we think they really deserve.

HOW TO USE KICKSTARTER

On the right-hand side of the screen, you’ll see a list of suggested contribution levels. With each of these levels comes a special Thank You gift.

To contribute, just click on the contribution level that seems right to you, and then you’ll enter your credit card info through Amazon checkout. It’s all safe and secure. We’ll receive the final payment when our project reaches its final goal. If we don’t reach that goal, your card will never be charged.

Thank you for your interest, and we can’t wait to share the finished film with you!

ABOUT OUR PROJECT

TINY: A Story About Living Small is a short documentary about tiny houses, and the ways that we find ourselves at home. The film follows the story of Christopher Smith and his attempt to build a 130-square foot tiny house from scratch, with no prior building experience. The film also profiles other families across America who have chosen to downsize and live in less than 400 square feet.

Rather than an informational documentary about tiny houses, the film will explore the idea of "home" and what makes us feel comfortable in a particular landscape or building. The film will be a meditation on the relationship of home to environment, of quality and simplicity to a life well lived.

So far, production on the film is almost complete. Christopher’s tiny house is expected to be finished this December, and we’ll be visiting other tiny house owners around the county during the months of November and December to film our final interviews. By the time this Kickstarter campaign is over, we’ll be ready to move into the post-production phase. To see glimpses of the progress on Christopher’s house, and excerpts of our interviews with other tiny house owners, check out our blog at http://www.tiny-themovie.com

WHAT YOUR CONTRIBUTION WILL FUND

We’ll be using the funds raised for post-production of the film, including sound editing, recording our original score, editing the final film, and sending it off to a finishing house. We want to immerse our viewers in the experience of building a house from scratch, and living in a tiny house. These final post-production steps will help to make that experience as high-quality and believable as possible. Contributions to our special $500 level will also help fund our last remaining trips to film tiny house owners around the country.

If we exceed our goal, we’ll use the additional funds to film two aerial shots—of the Denver suburbs, and of the completed tiny house, in it’s final resting place in the Colorado mountains. We’d also like to pay our cinematographer, Kevin, a stipend for his brilliant work.

What makes you feel at home?

We'd love to hear from you about the small, strong details that makes your house feel like a home. Or, if you don't live in just one location, what makes you feel at home wherever you are? Leave a comment in our comment section and we'll post our favorite answers on our website and on our facebook page throughout the Kickstarter campaign. Who knows, maybe we'll even print some of them on a tee shirt or inside of the completed DVD case!

A FEW OF OUR FAVORITE REWARDS

ONLINE PREMIER OF FILM: $30

We're planning to premier the film at a series of film festivals and screenings around the country this coming spring and summer. But contributors to the $30 level and above will get a special link for the online premier of a film—it's the best way to make sure that you won't miss the film, no matter where you are in the world.

BEHIND THE SCENES VIDEO: $50

After you've watched the online premier of our film, you'll be given a special link to access a "Behind the Scenes" video online. We'll show you more in-depth footage of the construction of the tiny house, as well as how exactly we set up and shot some of our favorite scenes. You'll also get a sneak peek at some of our bloopers and mistakes (one particular scene comes to mind, involving Christopher on a ladder with a power drill...)

STILL PHOTO BY KEVIN HOTH: $100

Kevin Hoth is a commercial and fine art photographer, and a lecturer on digital arts at the University of Colorado, Boulder. He's also our Colorado cinematographer (that roof installation shot in the trailer is all thanks to him!) We love his work because it captures the surfaces, shapes, and textures of the natural and urban world, making us take a second look at everyday scenes that we sometimes pass without noticing.

We haven't yet chosen the final still that will be distributed as part of the $100 reward (the surprise is part of the fun!), but below are a few examples of Kevin's recent work. You can see more photos on Kevin's Tumblr and on his website.

LIMITED EDITION TINY HOUSE SKETCH BY DEREK DIEDRICKSEN: $100

Derek "Deek" Diedricksen, the micro-architect behind the relaxshacks.com and author/illustrator/cartoonist of the book “Humble Homes, Simple Shacks” has been featured in the NY Times, Readymade, NPR, and Make Magazine.

To support our project, Deek has offered to make 3 original limited edition tiny house sketches for backers at the $100 level. Each drawing/print will be 8.5" by 5.5" on thick, high-grade card stock, and signed by Deek.

Learn more about Deek in this video profile that we recently made, after visiting him in Massachusetts:

WEEKEND IN THE COMPLETED TINY HOUSE: $300

If you've ever wondered what it would be like to live in a tiny house, this is for you! You'll get a weekend in Christopher's completed, 130-square foot tiny house, in it's final location in the Colorado mountains, 2 miles West of Denver near Fairplay, Colorado. The house is about 40 miles from Breckenridge ski resort and borders national forest land, super close to hiking, mountain biking, and rafting. This level would also make a great gift for a friend who's interested in tiny houses, and you'll both get a mountain vacation out of it!

YOUR CHOICE OF SMALL HOUSE BUILDING PLANS FROM COZYHOMEPLANS.COM

Cozy Home Plans offers building plans for small-sized homes, ranging between 208 and 781 square feet. Company owner Kevin Harrington has generously offered to give backers at the $500 level a plan of their choice from his website—CozyHomePlans.com. The value of these plans ranges from $275 to $675.

If you are thinking about building a tiny house of your own, here is a
chance to make a major contribution to our film, and also receive a set
of professionally-designed tiny house plans.

STILLS AND INTERVIEW FOOTAGE FROM A TINY HOUSE TRIP: $500

Contributing to this level is like being with us on one of our interview trips to film other tiny house dwellers around the country. You can pick which trip you'd like to "accompany us" on and we'll send you updates from the road, special digital stills from the trip, and special access to video footage from the interviews filmed during that trip. You get all the benefits of being a crew member, without having to carry any heavy camera equipment!

ASSOCIATE PRODUCER CREDIT: $1000 and $2500

This is your chance to be part of the film industry, and to seriously fund a documentary film project. We'll give you official Associate Producer credit in our film credits, film website, and all other digital and print materials related to the film. For the $2500 level, we'll fly out and screen the film in-person for your community.

Support

Select this reward

Pledge US$ 1 or more
About $1.00

Outreach Partner: Can't spare the cash but want to help promote our project? If you can share our kickstarter link to a mailing list of more than 2,000 people, or a facebook group of 1,000+, we'll list you as an "Outreach Partner" in the film credits and on our website.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge US$ 100 or more
About $100

We'll send you a beautiful, 8 x 12 original print by our Colorado-based cinematographer, Kevin Hoth, who teaches digital photography at the University of Colorado. Plus your name in the film credits and everything listed in previous levels.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge US$ 100 or more
About $100

Limited Edition Tiny House sketch by Derek Diedricksen, author/illustrator/cartoonist of the book "Humble Homes, Simple Shacks" and the blogger behind relaxshacks.com. Deek's work has been featured in the NY Times, NPR, and Readymade. Each print will be 8.5 x 5.5, printed on high-grade card stock and signed. Plus your name in the film credits and everything in the previous levels.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge US$ 300 or more
About $300

Spend a weekend in the completed tiny house! (Located 2 hours from Denver, Colorado, close to ski resorts and national forest, hiking and rafting—accommodates 2 comfortably, up to 4 snugly. You can choose your weekend, anytime between May 2012 and April 2013. Transportation not included.) Plus everything in the previous categories.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge US$ 500 or more
About $500

You're funding a trip to film another tiny house, somewhere in America. We'll send you a set of still photos and special access to interview footage from the trip that you helped to fund. (Scheduled trips include: Boston, Portland, Olympia, Seattle, San Francisco, San Diego, and North Carolina.) Plus everything in the previous categories, including a weekend in the tiny house.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge US$ 500 or more
About $500

Choose any set of professionally-designed small house building plans from the Cozyhomeplans.com website. Plus a weekend in the completed tiny house, a still photo from Kevin Hoth, and everything in the $50 level and below.